America's environmental lobby is opposed to the dilution of the country's environmental agenda by the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) efforts at ensuring freer trade.

America so sensitive on the issue that when the WTO ruled in May that the US ban on shrimp imports on environmental grounds was illegal, America asked for the report to be kept under wraps until after the second ministerial meeting of the WTO, which coincided with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) system.

Washington subsequently appealed the ruling and the matter has yet to be decided. The WTO ruling was in response to a complaint by India, Pakistan and Thailand whose shrimp exports are banned because the US says they do not protect their turtle population by installing turtle-extruder devices in fishing vessels.

Now this row has become linked to a veryimportant item on America's legislative agenda: giving the American president a free hand in negotiating trade deals, the so-called fast-track negotiating authority. Bill Clinton had failed to have his fast-track trade negotiating authority renewed last year. This has hamstrung him to the extent that America's agenda of liberalising trade worldwide has virtually ground to a halt.

Now, eight environmental groups have written to Republicans in the American Congress, urging them to again deny this authority to the President. The Bill for fast-track authority comes up for voting in the House of Representatives late next month.

The environmental groups have written to Republican senators that world trade rules have already undermined important environmental and public-health laws in areas such as the protection of endangered species and forests, and controlling pollution.

An adverse ruling for the US by the appellate panel in the shrimp-turtle case could make this a test case for America's commitment to theWTO regime.